Denton: Magic-Pistons Postgame Analysis
By John Denton
January 31, 2010
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
This one was particularly ugly, as most of them usually are in suburban Detroit for the Orlando Magic. But this time, the gritty Magic did just enough to survive the lulls in play and a rash of injuries to get out of Detroit with a rare victory.
Orlando lost Jameer Nelson (sore knee) and a revived Mickael Pietrus (ankle sprain) to injuries, but got big performances from J.J. Redick and Dwight Howard to beat the Pistons 91-86.
It was just Orlando’s second victory in The Palace at Auburn Hills in the past 16 games there. What looked like a run-away rout early on when the Magic (32-16) jumped to a 15-point first-quarter lead was a struggle to the very end. And a relieved coach Stan Van Gundy was not surprised one bit.
``This place is just a house of horrors for us,’’ Van Gundy said candidly. ``We were rolling along pretty well early and then they come back, Jameer gets hurt, Vince (Carter) is in foul trouble, Rashard (Lewis) is in foul trouble and then MP gets hurt.
``Crazy stuff always happens in this building for us and I’m just glad we’re done here for the year,’’ Van Gundy continued. ``And quite frankly, I hope they don’t make the playoffs and get into a position where we have to play them. This has not been a good place for us, so it was good to get the win.’’
They got that win because Redick scored 17 points, none bigger than his three frees with 1:16 to play and the Magic up just 84-83 at the time. Redick baited Richard Hamilton into the air and drew the foul from 27 feet away to get to the free throw line for the huge free throws.
Howard had major woes at the free throw line, but was otherwise excellent with 16 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots. Howard, who had seen his percentage climb back over 60 percent following a recent hot stretch at the free throw line, made just eight of 18 free throws.
``It is part of basketball, we knew that they were going to come back and instead of us giving up, we got the win and that is all that we can ask for,’’ Howard said. ``When they had a small lead, we felt the whole game that we were still going to win this game. Teams are going to make runs, teams are going to score and teams are going take the lead, but you can never give up on a game whether you are up 20 or down 20.’’
The victory earned Van Gundy a spot in the NBA All-Star Game on Dec. 14 in Arlington, Texas, as the coach of the Eastern Conference All-Stars. Cleveland coach Mike Brown has the best record in the Eastern Conference, but he is ineligible to coach in the game because he represented the East all-stars last season in Phoenix.
``We look at it as punishment for Stan,’’ Redick joked after the game. ``I’m sure he was looking forward to a three-day break, but congrats to him. Obviously, we’ve played better recently and we’re going to continue doing that into the break.’’
Here is a look back at the good, the bad and the ugly from the Magic’s sixth win in the past seven games:
THE GOOD
---- Redick was once again the Magic’s closer at the end of the game, replacing the struggling Carter. And Redick gave the Magic just the closing kick that it needed in this tough game a night after beating Atlanta in Orlando.
Redick had eight of his 17 points in the fourth quarter. He had a 3-pointer from the corner early in the fourth quarter to break a 69-all tie. According to advanced NBA statistics, Redick is now 10 of 13 this season on 3-pointers from the right corner.
---- Veteran point guard Anthony Johnson was forced into action when Nelson went down with knee soreness, and Johnson ran the offense beautifully in the fourth quarter. He had six points, including two free throws with three seconds remaining to cinch the game. He got to the free throw line by stealing Ben Gordon’s pass as the Pistons were scrambling and trying to get a game-tying 3-pointer.
Johnson, 37, hadn’t played in 15 of the previous 17 games, but he was ready to go when called upon Sunday night.
``It’s been awhile since I’ve been out there but I was ready physically. Physically I was okay,’’ Johnson said. ``They play slow and deliberate, so with fouls and timeouts I was able to keep my wind and be able to make big plays. I’m just happy to help when my number is called and we got a much needed road victory.’’
Redick didn’t miss a chance to needle Johnson – as is the case with many of the Magic players when it comes to the oldest player on the team. Said Redick: ``The grandfather is always ready to play, despite the fact that he’s 71 years old with those creaky bones, they still work. He was huge with Jameer going down and he led the team in the second half.’’
---- The Magic showed no signs of fatigue early in the game after tipping off some 20 hours after beating Atlanta on Saturday in Orlando. The Magic rolled to a 25-10 lead midway through the first quarter. The Magic made seven of their first eight shots and all three of their 3-pointers to start the game.
THE BAD
---- As pretty as the first quarter was for the Magic, the second and third quarters were equally as horrific. Orlando failed to break 20 in either period, scoring just 19 in the second period and 16 in the third period. The Magic missed nine of their first 10 shots to start the second half, allowing the woeful Pistons to pull into the lead.
Howard, who was dominant early on with nine points in the first quarter, rarely touched the ball in the second period and didn’t score again until there was just 3:55 left in the third quarter. Lewis, who had nine points, four assists, three 3-pointers and three rebounds in the first half, also went a long stretch without points during the second and third periods.
---- Nelson hyper-extended his surgically repaired left knee early in the first quarter, ending the good flow the Magic had with Nelson running the show. The Magic were up by 13 points in Nelson’s first 10 minutes on the floor in large part because he scored five points, assisted on two more baskets and had a steal.
Nelson has been bothered by lingering soreness and swelling in the knee in the six weeks since he returned from arthroscopic surgery on the knee to repair torn meniscus. Nelson will receive therapy today and his availability for Tuesday’s home game against Milwaukee is questionable.
---- Pietrus was enjoying a breakout game from a prolonged slump when he got injured Sunday night. Pietrus broke a 79-all tie with a clutch 3-pointer from the right side, but he landed on Hamilton’s foot and grotesquely rolled his ankle. Pietrus was still in a lot of pain after the game and will have a MRI on his ankle today, likely knocking him out of Tuesday’s game against Milwaukee.
Before he was injured, Pietrus scored 14 points by making four 3-pointers and two free throws. He hadn’t scored in double digits in the previous eight games and seemed poised to snap out of his month-long funk.
THE UGLY
---- January is Carter’s birth month and he recently celebrated his 33rd birthday, but the month can’t end soon enough for struggling all-star.
Carter made just one of eight shots and that one basket was on an alley-oop lob from Matt Barnes in the first quarter. Carter played just 19 minutes as Van Gundy opted for the more aggressive Redick down the stretch.
In 14 games in January, Carter averaged just 8.7 points a game, likely the lowest month of his career. That’s down dramatically from the 20.6 points he averaged in November and the 18.4 points he averaged in December.
In January, Carter made just 28.3 percent of his field goal attempts (40 of 141) and just 22.4 percent of his 3-pointers (11 of 49).
The Magic know they need Carter to go deep in the playoffs and win big this season, but for now the thought is to ride Redick and let Carter play his way through his slump.
---- The once mighty Pistons have become one of the league’s laughingstocks because of a variety of bad moves by GM Joe Dumars, who once seemed he could do no wrong in Detroit.
The Pistons are still reeling from last season’s trade of Chauncey Billups. They used the cap space provided by Allen Iverson’s expiring contract to sign Ben Gordon and Charlie Villaueva, but both have been major disappointments. Now, Detroit is looking at a second consecutive season (and maybe many more) without playoff basketball in the spring.
The Pistons just concluded a six-game homestand with a pitiful 1-5 record. Many more losses are ahead for the aging Pistons – especially if they unload Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Jason Maxiell before the trade deadline.
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard each week on ESPN 1080 AM. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
By John DentonJanuary 31, 2010
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
This one was particularly ugly, as most of them usually are in suburban Detroit for the Orlando Magic. But this time, the gritty Magic did just enough to survive the lulls in play and a rash of injuries to get out of Detroit with a rare victory.
Orlando lost Jameer Nelson (sore knee) and a revived Mickael Pietrus (ankle sprain) to injuries, but got big performances from J.J. Redick and Dwight Howard to beat the Pistons 91-86.
It was just Orlando’s second victory in The Palace at Auburn Hills in the past 16 games there. What looked like a run-away rout early on when the Magic (32-16) jumped to a 15-point first-quarter lead was a struggle to the very end. And a relieved coach Stan Van Gundy was not surprised one bit.
``This place is just a house of horrors for us,’’ Van Gundy said candidly. ``We were rolling along pretty well early and then they come back, Jameer gets hurt, Vince (Carter) is in foul trouble, Rashard (Lewis) is in foul trouble and then MP gets hurt.
``Crazy stuff always happens in this building for us and I’m just glad we’re done here for the year,’’ Van Gundy continued. ``And quite frankly, I hope they don’t make the playoffs and get into a position where we have to play them. This has not been a good place for us, so it was good to get the win.’’
They got that win because Redick scored 17 points, none bigger than his three frees with 1:16 to play and the Magic up just 84-83 at the time. Redick baited Richard Hamilton into the air and drew the foul from 27 feet away to get to the free throw line for the huge free throws.
Howard had major woes at the free throw line, but was otherwise excellent with 16 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots. Howard, who had seen his percentage climb back over 60 percent following a recent hot stretch at the free throw line, made just eight of 18 free throws.
``It is part of basketball, we knew that they were going to come back and instead of us giving up, we got the win and that is all that we can ask for,’’ Howard said. ``When they had a small lead, we felt the whole game that we were still going to win this game. Teams are going to make runs, teams are going to score and teams are going take the lead, but you can never give up on a game whether you are up 20 or down 20.’’
The victory earned Van Gundy a spot in the NBA All-Star Game on Dec. 14 in Arlington, Texas, as the coach of the Eastern Conference All-Stars. Cleveland coach Mike Brown has the best record in the Eastern Conference, but he is ineligible to coach in the game because he represented the East all-stars last season in Phoenix.
``We look at it as punishment for Stan,’’ Redick joked after the game. ``I’m sure he was looking forward to a three-day break, but congrats to him. Obviously, we’ve played better recently and we’re going to continue doing that into the break.’’
Here is a look back at the good, the bad and the ugly from the Magic’s sixth win in the past seven games:
THE GOOD
---- Redick was once again the Magic’s closer at the end of the game, replacing the struggling Carter. And Redick gave the Magic just the closing kick that it needed in this tough game a night after beating Atlanta in Orlando.
Redick had eight of his 17 points in the fourth quarter. He had a 3-pointer from the corner early in the fourth quarter to break a 69-all tie. According to advanced NBA statistics, Redick is now 10 of 13 this season on 3-pointers from the right corner.
---- Veteran point guard Anthony Johnson was forced into action when Nelson went down with knee soreness, and Johnson ran the offense beautifully in the fourth quarter. He had six points, including two free throws with three seconds remaining to cinch the game. He got to the free throw line by stealing Ben Gordon’s pass as the Pistons were scrambling and trying to get a game-tying 3-pointer.
Johnson, 37, hadn’t played in 15 of the previous 17 games, but he was ready to go when called upon Sunday night.
``It’s been awhile since I’ve been out there but I was ready physically. Physically I was okay,’’ Johnson said. ``They play slow and deliberate, so with fouls and timeouts I was able to keep my wind and be able to make big plays. I’m just happy to help when my number is called and we got a much needed road victory.’’
Redick didn’t miss a chance to needle Johnson – as is the case with many of the Magic players when it comes to the oldest player on the team. Said Redick: ``The grandfather is always ready to play, despite the fact that he’s 71 years old with those creaky bones, they still work. He was huge with Jameer going down and he led the team in the second half.’’
---- The Magic showed no signs of fatigue early in the game after tipping off some 20 hours after beating Atlanta on Saturday in Orlando. The Magic rolled to a 25-10 lead midway through the first quarter. The Magic made seven of their first eight shots and all three of their 3-pointers to start the game.
THE BAD
---- As pretty as the first quarter was for the Magic, the second and third quarters were equally as horrific. Orlando failed to break 20 in either period, scoring just 19 in the second period and 16 in the third period. The Magic missed nine of their first 10 shots to start the second half, allowing the woeful Pistons to pull into the lead.
Howard, who was dominant early on with nine points in the first quarter, rarely touched the ball in the second period and didn’t score again until there was just 3:55 left in the third quarter. Lewis, who had nine points, four assists, three 3-pointers and three rebounds in the first half, also went a long stretch without points during the second and third periods.
---- Nelson hyper-extended his surgically repaired left knee early in the first quarter, ending the good flow the Magic had with Nelson running the show. The Magic were up by 13 points in Nelson’s first 10 minutes on the floor in large part because he scored five points, assisted on two more baskets and had a steal.
Nelson has been bothered by lingering soreness and swelling in the knee in the six weeks since he returned from arthroscopic surgery on the knee to repair torn meniscus. Nelson will receive therapy today and his availability for Tuesday’s home game against Milwaukee is questionable.
---- Pietrus was enjoying a breakout game from a prolonged slump when he got injured Sunday night. Pietrus broke a 79-all tie with a clutch 3-pointer from the right side, but he landed on Hamilton’s foot and grotesquely rolled his ankle. Pietrus was still in a lot of pain after the game and will have a MRI on his ankle today, likely knocking him out of Tuesday’s game against Milwaukee.
Before he was injured, Pietrus scored 14 points by making four 3-pointers and two free throws. He hadn’t scored in double digits in the previous eight games and seemed poised to snap out of his month-long funk.
THE UGLY
---- January is Carter’s birth month and he recently celebrated his 33rd birthday, but the month can’t end soon enough for struggling all-star.
Carter made just one of eight shots and that one basket was on an alley-oop lob from Matt Barnes in the first quarter. Carter played just 19 minutes as Van Gundy opted for the more aggressive Redick down the stretch.
In 14 games in January, Carter averaged just 8.7 points a game, likely the lowest month of his career. That’s down dramatically from the 20.6 points he averaged in November and the 18.4 points he averaged in December.
In January, Carter made just 28.3 percent of his field goal attempts (40 of 141) and just 22.4 percent of his 3-pointers (11 of 49).
The Magic know they need Carter to go deep in the playoffs and win big this season, but for now the thought is to ride Redick and let Carter play his way through his slump.
---- The once mighty Pistons have become one of the league’s laughingstocks because of a variety of bad moves by GM Joe Dumars, who once seemed he could do no wrong in Detroit.
The Pistons are still reeling from last season’s trade of Chauncey Billups. They used the cap space provided by Allen Iverson’s expiring contract to sign Ben Gordon and Charlie Villaueva, but both have been major disappointments. Now, Detroit is looking at a second consecutive season (and maybe many more) without playoff basketball in the spring.
The Pistons just concluded a six-game homestand with a pitiful 1-5 record. Many more losses are ahead for the aging Pistons – especially if they unload Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Jason Maxiell before the trade deadline.
John Denton writes for Orlandomagic.com. His Magic ``Behind the Scenes’’ segment can be heard each week on ESPN 1080 AM. Submit questions to John for his ``Ask J.D.’’ mailbag feature that will appear every Friday at AskJD@orlandomagic.com.
